“Our son’s birth mother is now married and parenting a newborn. How should I answer if he asks why they couldn’t raise him?”
When Relatives Hold Dated Views About Adoption
“I need help dealing with unsupportive relatives who seem to think ‘adoption’ is a dirty word. How can I talk with them about adoption?”
Ask AF: A New Sister
We’ve been reading a Big Brother book to our three-year-old son (adopted at birth) to prepare him for the arrival of a six-week-old sister.
Ask AF: “Was I Bad?”
Our eight-year-old has been telling his classmates that his birth mother “gave him up” because he was “bad.”
When Birth Moms Get the Blues
It may take some time for your child’s birth mother to work through her grief. But there are ways you can help.
Child-Created Lifebooks
Even if you’ve made a scrapbook or lifebook for your child, kids this age like to tell their own stories. Here’s how to help.
Ask AF: Insecure About a Sibling
We’re adopting a second child, and we worry that our daughter’s insecurity will lead her to compete with a new sibling. Any advice?
Budding Curiosity – Adoption Talks with Preschoolers
AF takes you inside the mind of your preschooler, and offers tips for answering their first questions about adoption and talking about how you became a family.
A Growing Awareness
Between the ages of nine and 12, children register the meaning of adoption–and this can bring harder questions and more complex emotions. AF takes a look at what’s going on in the minds of preteens, and offers advice for talking with them.
Surprising Post-Adoption Emotions
When you finally bring your child home, yes, you will feel elated. But many new adoptive moms and dads are surprised by the complex emotions that can sit on the outskirts of that joy.
Answering Kids’ Questions About Reproduction
Kids’ questions about sex are a tad more complicated when adoption is involved. Here, our experts give you the answers you need.
Ask AF: Too Young to Understand Birth Family?
We have an open adoption with our 30-month-old son’s birth family. Last night we were looking at a photo album.
Surviving Infertility
What it’s normal to feel, even after you adopt and fall in love with your child.
Ask AF: Explaining Adoption to a Special-Needs Child
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: Helping Mom Handle the College Transition
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: When a Child Calls Every Woman “Mommy”
Our three-year-old has been through several foster placements and calls nearly every woman she comes in contact with “Mommy.”
Ask AF: A Spouse’s Reluctance About Adoption
My husband is fearful of a damaged child and of disrupting our stable lives, and he refuses to discuss adoption.
Ask AF: Ongoing Grief About Infertility
Q: My husband and I became parents via adoption after a long struggle with infertility. Our son, now two, is truly the love of our lives. When my best friend recently had a baby, I was surprised to feel sad, and even jealous. How can I get over this? A: If someone cries at a wedding, its…
Ask AF: Tummy Talk
My child is starting to talk about tummies. What is going on here?
The Games They Play
Along with tea parties and superheroes, our children may incorporate themes like birth and adoption into their play.
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